Using 137Cs and 210Pb to assess the sediment sources in a dam reservoir catchment on the loess plateau, China

As the part of integrated studies of soil erosion and sedimentation within the same reservoir catchment, 'Sedimentation Assessment Studies' supported by IAEA, the primary scientific objective is to determine the source types of sediments reaching the reservoir and their relative contribution of different spatial locations to dam reservoir. This study addresses the need to quantify and link dam reservoir sedimentation, land use and different landscape locations using the 137Cs and 210Pb techniques within a GIS frame. A brief description of the basis for the site selection, sampling strategy, and the first results on the spatial distributions of 137Cs content and the possible sources of sediment and the relative contributions of these potential sources within the Yangjuangou dam reservoir catchment, Loess Plateau are provided. (3 figs., 4 tabs.)